Sundowns chuffed with short Angola trip for Petro humdinger

Petro Atletico and Mamelodi Sundowns are no strangers after they have been drawn together in the quarterfinal of the Caf Champions League on Tuesday. Downs were delighted with being paired with the Angolan side because of the short traveling distance.

Masandawana co-head coach Rhulani Mokwena says past results between the two do not count for anything, saying they met at a different stage of the competition the first time around where not a lot was at stake.

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“Petro are a very strong side with Champions League experience. It is their first time in the quarterfinals but what we have seen is that they have scored nine goals and conceded eight in the group stages. That eight feels like a huge number but there was a dead rubber game against Wydad Casablanca where they conceded five goals,” said Mokwena.

“The fact that we beat them at home in the 2019/20 season and we struggled away from home does not mean much. History speaks about possibilities and what has happened yet the future speaks about eventualities and what could possibly happen and that is in relation to how we treat the opposition. We just have to focus on the work that we have to do. The reality is that the game always changes every single year and the Champions League becomes harder to participate in and to play,” he added.

Mokwena says playing in Angola will make the preparation a lot easier for the defending DStv Premiership champions, who are among the favourites to reach the semifinals.

“The distance allows for a shorter flight and that assists the players a little bit more. Easier travel makes it easier to work on match-specific preparation and you have more time to do work on and off the pitch. Angola being in and around the SADC region allows for some similarities and that means acclimatization and adaptation does not have to be an issue.”